Session #2 - Latina/o Greek-Lettered Organizations

Latina/o Students

& Involvement

Institute ACPA Las Vegas

Annual Convention

March 5, 2013

Latina/o Students & Involvement Institute

SESSION #2 - LATINA/O GREEK-LETTERED ORGANIZATIONS • Coordinating Presenter • Dr. Ricardo Montelongo, Director for Student Success, University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX


PRESENTERS Daniel Hernandez, Assistant Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX

Estee Hernandez, Doctoral Student, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Joe Palencia, Graduate Student, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL


LEARNING OBJECTIVES

•  Gain an understanding of the history and purpose of Latino/a Greek-Letter Organizations (LGLOs)

•  Highlight Latino/a student involvement in LGLOs:

reasons for joining, benefits, and challenges •  Discuss strategies to better support Latino/a Greeks

to improve well-being and retention


WHY FOCUS ON LGLOS? •  By the year 2050, it is projected that Latinos will number 98 million and thus will constitute one-fourth of the

nation’s total population (Zurita, 2007) •  Ortiz and Hernandez (2011) found that, “the general public’s lack of understanding of Latino culture, in concert

with periodic episodes of political anti immigration sentiment, may also lead to readily accepting stereotypes of Latinos/Latinas as [undocumented] immigrants and undereducated manual laborers” (p. 93).

•  Longerbeam, Sedlacek, and Alatorre (2004) found that, “a welcoming campus environment that provides

opportunities to incorporate Latino culture is an important institutional contribution to lowering Latino student stress” (p. 541).

•  Abrego (2008) stated, “if the campus has not evolved to meet the needs of students of diverse backgrounds,

the student will feel isolated, unwanted, and eventually withdraw from the campus” (p. 87).


HISTORY OF LATINO/A GREEK MOVEMENT

LGLOs •  Began with the influx of Latinos in

higher education in the 1960s and 1970s

•  Phi Iota Alpha – first significant Latino Greek founding

•  Was not until the 1970s when the movement began to really take hold o  Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda

Theta Alpha (Kimbrough, 2003)

NALFO •  Began as the Concilio Nacional de

Hermandades Latinas (CNHL) in the early 1990s

•  National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) began in 1998 to unite the geographically-spread organizations

•  Officially merged in 2001 o  Sole Latin@ Greek Letter Organization

council by 2003 o  Consists of 6 fraternities, 13 sororities,

and 1 co-ed fraternity


WHY DO STUDENTS JOIN LGLOS? According to Guardia (2008), “although many Latino/a college students sought membership in historically white fraternities and sororities, they found that they did not fit the mold of the traditional, already-established, nationally recognized fraternities and sororities” (p. 165). •  Legitimacy •  Political issues/change •  Activism •  Hermandad (brotherhood/sisterhood) •  Academic and social support •  Cultural/ethnic empowerment •  Community service


BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN LGLOS

•  Provides a family structure on campus (Guardia & Evans, 2008; Miranda & Martin de Figueroa, 2000)

•  Serves as a cultural tempering ground (Arminio et al., 2000)

•  Increases satisfaction of college experience (Gilroy, 2008)

•  Affirms and supports ethnic identity formation (Guardia, 2007)

•  Foster sense of belonging (Hurtado & Carter, 1997)


CHALLENGES FACING LGLOS

•  Smaller chapters in comparison to IFC/NPC •  Values congruence •  Equal support from other Greek-letter organizations •  Lack of alumni support/mentors •  Developing a trusting relationship with LGLO

leadership


ADVISOR COMPETENCIES

•  Know how individual Latino students identify •  Understand ethnic identity development and acculturation •  Strive for cultural empowerment •  Understand and work with differences •  Be sensitive to the underrepresentation of Hispanic faculty

and staff mentors •  Be conscious of own biases •  Be informed about specific cultural values •  Foster leadership •  Involve la familia, community members, alumni •  Actively address racism and oppression

(Delgado-Romero & Hernandez, 2002)


DISCUSSION

•  What are some of the challenges LGLOs face in your home institutions?

•  What are some of the ways you can immediately and directly improve the Latina/o Greek experience?

•  What are some knowledge gaps that you can commit to proactively addressing post-ACPA?

•  Share stories about involvement/advising experience.


GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK

•  Does each officer have a manual and has s/he read it? •  Is the FSL/Stu Act office aware of the budget and how it is utilized? •  Are agendas followed at meetings? •  Who is the staff/faculty advisor, and how often do they meet with him/

her? •  How (well) are events publicized? •  Does the entire membership participate in community service? •  How are new members integrated into chapter activities? •  Are meeting minutes typed and posted? •  Is the chapter budget prepared and followed?


CONTACT US

•  Daniel Hernandez [email protected]

•  Estee Hernandez

[email protected] •  Joe J. Palencia

[email protected]


NEXT SESSIONS

Session #3: Outcomes Associated with Latina/o Organizations

12:00-1:00 PM Planet Hollywood-Sunset 1 Session #4: Applying Knowledge to Student Affairs

Practice 3:00-4:00 PM Planet Hollywood-Sunset 1


REFERENCES •  Abrego, S.H. (2008). Recent strategies to increase access and retention. In Valverde, L. A. Latino change

agents in higher education: Shaping a system that works for all (p. 77-92). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

•  Arminio, J. L., Carter, S., Jones, S. E., Kruger, K., Lucas, N., Washington, J., Young, N., & Scott, A. (2000). Leadership experiences of students of color. NASPA Journal, 37(3), 496-510.

•  Delgado-Romero, E.A. & Hernandez, C.A. (2002). Empowering Hispanics students through student organizations: Competencies for faculties advisors. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 1(2), 144-157.

•  Fischer, M.J. (2007). Settling into campus life: Difference by race/ethnicity in college involvement and outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 78(2), 125-161.

•  Gilroy, M. (2008, February). Latina sorority membership linked to successful college adjustment. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 10, 18-20.

•  Guardia, J. R. (2007). Latino/a fraternity-sorority ethnic identity development. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 17(24), 72.

•  Guardia, J. R., & Evans, N. J. (2008). Factors influencing the ethnic identity development of Latino fraternity members at a Hispanic serving institution. Journal of College Student Development, 49(3), 163-181.

•  Miranda, M. L., & Martin de Figueroa, M. (2000, Summer). Adelante hacia el futuro! (Forward to the future): Latino/Latina students: Past, present, and future. Perspectives, 6-8. Retrieved from http://www.nalfo.org/images/stories/news-and-media/latino%20research/Perspectives%20Summer%202000.pdf


REFERENCES •  Kimbrough, W. M. (2003). Black Greek 101: The culture, customs, and challenges of Black fraternities

and sororities. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. •  Longerbeam, S. D., Sedlacek, W. E., & Alatorre, H. M. (2004). In their own voices: Latino student

retention. NASPA Journal, 41(3), 538-550. •  Nelson, L. T. F., Bridges, B. K., Morelon-Quainoo, C. L., Williams, J. M., & Holmes, M. S. (2007). African

American and Hispanic student engagement at minority serving and predominantly White institutions. Journal of College Student Development, 48(1), 39-56.

•  Hernandez, J. C. (2002). A qualitative exploration of the first-Year experience of Latino college students. NASPA Journal, 40, (1), 69-84

•  Hernandez, J. C. & Lopez, M. (2007). Leaking pipeline: Issues impacting Latino/a college student retention. In Seidman, A. (2007). Minority student retention: The best of the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, theory, & practice (pp. 99-122). Amityville, N.Y: Baywood Pub.

•  Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70, 324-345.

•  Ortiz, A. M. & Hernandez, S. (2011). Latino/Latina college students. In Cuyjet, M. J., Howard •  Hamilton, M. F., & Cooper, D. L. Multiculturalism on campus: Theory, models, and •  practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion (p.87- 116). Sterling, Va: •  Stylus Pub. •  Reynolds, A. L., Sneva, J. N., & Beehler, G. P. (2010). The influence of racism-related stress on the

academic motivation of Black and Latino/a students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2), 135-149.

•  Torres, V., & Hernandez, E. (2007). The influence of ethnic identity on self-authorship: A longitudinal study of Latino/a college students. Journal of College Student Development, 48, (5), 558-573.

Documents

Session #2 - Latina/o Greek-Lettered Organizations